The scenes you are comparing are, I think, the wrong ones. The scene where Ethan lifts Debbie in the cave's entrance should remind one of the scene when Ethan lifts Debbie as a child near the beginning of the movie. He now remembers and recognizes the flesh-and-blood person who is his niece. This is why he overcomes his racism and doesn't kill Debbie and why this is one of the great moments in movie history.
I was more concerned with the door imagery, but you make a very good point that I didn't consider. Thank you for that. I think both observations can be complementary to each other rather than exclude each other. What do you think? Another observation I had, but months after doing this video, is when Ethan and Martin escape into a cave (?) when Scar tries to kill them. The cave entrance there is similarly framed like the one in this scene and in both cases no harm comes to those who make it into the cave.
This is indeed an interesting analysis of this movie. Though it's been many years since I've sat down and watched this movie again, it's something I didn't quite notice before, and both your analyses are complimentary to each other. But yeah, I'll have to go with the simple fact that Debbie is Ethan's niece, and it made me wonder why the hell he would kill her. She had no choice, she was kidnapped, and has since adapted to the Comanche's lifestyle, because that was her only option to survive. Ethan HAD BETTER NOT have killed her! That's something I've kinda wrestled with before, since Ethan is incredibly hateful, vengeful, and racist against the Comanche, but he's come on this long journey looking for Debbie with everyone else since the beginning, why go to all the trouble to search for her with everyone else who wants to save her, only to kill her when he did find her? What's more, why punish her for a choice she clearly didn't make? (And even if she did agree to keep living with the Comanche, you still don't kill her.) I don't know, Ethan's bitterness toward the Comanche has always been confusing to me. I guess it's because I'm coming from the viewpoint of, Debbie was an innocent girl, I see absolutely no reason to kill her, under any circumstances.
@@AishaVonFossen I think Ethan stops seeing Debbie as a human being and more as a thing for which to direct his hatred towards the Comanche. This is, maybe, what racism is - regarding humans as objects. She is a prize that is being defiled by the Comanche, who murdered his brother and family. So, when he finally takes her into his arms at the end, he is suddenly confronted with "human being" Debbie, and it's this realization that overcomes his racism.
@@malafakka8530 It's possible that Ford was using door and cave entrance imagery to make a point. But, Ford uses a lot of door frames throughout the film and it's unclear to me what connections they all have. For example, when Ethan looks inside the burning house and sees his family raped and murdered, he's framed silhouetted against the back light. As I expressed earlier, far stronger for me was the connection between the young Debbie scene and the older Debbie scene. Kenji Mizoguchi does a similar thing in Sansho The Bailiff.
In the final scene, Ethan honors Harry Carey, Sr. by pulling on his elbow, a signature Harry Carey gesture. Carey's wife and son are in this film. Carey, Sr. died in 1947. He was nominated for an Oscar for 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."
I don't think Ethan was racist. He hated the Comanches, but he had good reason to. The Comanches killed his mother (as evidenced by her tombstone which Debbie is hiding by), his brother, his sister-in-law (it's hinted that she was also raped before being killed), his nephew, and one of his nieces (it's also suggested that Lucy was raped and killed). Basically, his entire family was wiped out by Comanches. This is why his hatred was so deep.
Yes, I think that as well by now. I was influenced by a review I had read a few months earlier when I made the video. If he were truly racist he would have behaved differently towards Look, for example.
The greatest western ever made. The most influential movie ever made. John Ford’s masterpiece stands the test of time. It has influenced two generations of Hollywood film makers. Ethan Edwards, the loneliest man in the world. Men like him made the West safe for civilization and then were left behind by it. God what a movie masterpiece. I’ve seen the movie a million times and I still get choked at the final scene. Saw it when it first was released and was to young to understand the dept of story and message it delivered. I thought it was just another western. But the final scene haunted me for years. When I was mature enough the realized the message it delivered made me realize genius was at work here. And John Wayne could really act.
Once Ethan scalps Scar, his demons are purged. He has taken his revenge, his hatred cleansed by blood. With his eye-for-an eye mission accomplished, there is room for a new emotion. He is not without kindness as seen in opening scene. The end rekindles that opening scene's kindness. And as was his way, his apparent mistreatment of his "step-son" (by way of Martha and the baby they made) -- was a rough love -- a technique to toughen Martin into adulthood. Martin passes his trial by fire to save Debbie, and we see he has grown into a balanced manhood of toughness and tenderness. What movie-making! Scenes and psychological conflict that are unforgettable.
I wonder if there isn't intended also some symmetry with the earlier cave scene, where Ethan found himself looking out. Not as defenceless but vulnerable nonetheless and comes closest in the movie to dying.
John Wayne once stated that meeting Wyatt Earp, when he was a very young actor, made an impression on him. That distinctive swaggering walk that John Wayne had was the way that Wyatt Earp walked, Wayne said.
I always leaned towards the idea that Debbie was actually Ethan's daughter. He seems startled by the realization of who she is when he meets her as a little girl.
It may also be like Moses not being allowed to go to the Promised Land or Frodo not finding peace at his home in the Shire. Those that suffered and made the peace possible often do not get to enjoy the fruits of their sacrifices ie. the peace. We need to remember the sacrifices of those whose have made peace possible for the rest of us. Pax vobis.
I read once, and i totally agree, it seems very clear that he and his brothers wife have significant feeling for each other. I think Ethan was ruled by his pain, anger and hatred for the people that destroyed his family. When he saw Debbie at the end, cowering in fear, he is transported back to finding the homestead burning, his sister in law raped and mutilated, Debbies doll in among the graves. Then hi picks her up and recognizes his lost sister in law in her appearance. Also, let’s not brand Ethan a racist. He treated Mose as well as anyone. He hated the indians, especially the Comanche, because of the battles, raids and destruction between the two races…… the same reason so many Indians hated the whites, and all settlers.
In addition to what was said in the commentary and some of the written comments here, it's also a battle between light and darkness. Not only does Nathan recognize his kin and the little girl he lifted up when she was a child, it is also the case, more subliminally, that were he to kill her, he and the movie would have slipped into darkness. He chose instead light, as is reflected both in the scene at the mouth of the cave but also in the closing scene.
One of the things that makes "The Searchers" a great movie is that it doesn't tell the audience everything. The creation of novels and movies is a two-way collaboration between the director and the audience. A good director sets things up so that both the director and the audience create the movie.
It's hinted at in a scene in which Debbie's mother caresses Ethan's coat. Ward Bond witnesses this moment. It could be why Ethan stayed away so long. Funny. This never occurred to me until recently, and I've seen this fine film many times. Thank you.
In the original screenplay by Frank S. Nugent, Ethan points his gun at Debbie in the climatic scene and says, "I'm sorry girl. Shut you eyes," pauses, and then lowers his gun and says, "You sure favor your mother."
This is definitely relevant to the discussion. There's always the possibility that the director (John Ford) intentionally left that out because he had his own interpretation of Ethan's motives that differed from the screenwriter's, but you never know.
Good analogy. You should watch the history channel special on the hells angels and how they got started by veterans of WW2 or more recently 1923’s Spencer who winds up hunting Lions in Africa post WW1. Good writing there. Ethan was of this loin. Having difficulties blending back into civilization after the Civil war and the violence of the frontier.
Ethan doesn't follow any rules but his own. He handed over his gun because the preacher is his friend, and he'd rather do that than have it out with him. He doesn't kill his niece for the simple reason that he loves her, and love is stronger than hate.
I've always strongly disagreed with the characterization of the imagery of the ending. Ethan's place is outside the house representing civilization, not because he's a barbarian and unworthy... but because he is a guardian, and his place is out there, fighting to defend civilization. In civilization, killing is murder. Outside civilization, killing is defending civilization. Personally, I think before the final raid Ethan had decided against killing Lucy. Probably because of the aforementioned taste of civilization he had had just before Lt Greenhill brought Mose and his report. Something told him that she hadn't been turned Comanche, and could be returned to civilization.
I guess it depends on which interpretation you come across, but I think that what you say is often the point of those interpretations. Ethan is someone who might be needed to establish civilization, but that the very means to do that preclude him from sharing in it. His fate is tragic in that sense.
The door frame is a part of this but it is not why he does not kill Debbie. When he picks her up at the beginning of the movie he knows she is Debbie's daughter he remembers this at the end
@@malafakka8530 I did not notice the point you made about John Wayne and ward Bond at the fireplace. There is one scene I would like your understanding you did not mention. Before the rangers attack chief scars camp. How did Ethan know the scalp of Martin's mother. My best guess is that he was going to tell him it was Martha's to make him hate scar more. Before Ethan tells him Martin says don't tell me it was Martha's so Ethan told him it belonged to his mother. What do you think about this?
@@johndaniels8904 I wish I could give you a good or convincing answer on this, but unless we are overlooking a hint or detail in the movie, I think there is no plausible way to know if Ethan really recognized the scalp of Martin's mother. Your explanation is a good one. The only other explanation I could think of is that Scar was among the people who killed Martin's mother, and that Ethan recognized him from back then and guessed that the chances are good that one of the scalps was the mother's, without really knowing if this was true. Just a question, for no particular reason other than you having an interest in The Searchers, do you happen to like the movie Conan the Barbarian? I made a few videos on the movie, and in one of those I briefly show interesting parallels between Conan and The Searchers. If you happen to be interested I can post the link here. If not, no problem.
@@malafakka8530 Chief scar is very aggressive to people outside of his own tribe and captives. It is a safe bet he led the raid that killed martins parents too. That is good thinking. The whole video was good. I might look at the Conan movie too.
@@johndaniels8904 Thanks, glad that you liked my idea on the scalp. Here is the link to the Conan video: ua-cam.com/video/zcawVwVF6gg/v-deo.html. The comparison starts at 3:35 in that video link.
The greatest Western ever made. And it is not just the greatest Western. It is one of the greatest movies ever made. Period. I don't know how many times I have watched it over the years. But I find new things to ponder and marvel at _every_ time I watch it. Hardly any films are so profoundly well constructed, written, acted and filmed. I am in awe of John Ford.
@@mikedbigame3398 Good that you like movies but few people ever mention those films in the Great category. While The Searchers is permanently etched as one of the greatest films ever made, not just Westerns ever made. There is a difference ... 😉🤷♂
1:52, he had his pistol in his hand, then on close up, it's holstered. Perhaps they wanted to portray that as he did want to kill her, then changed his mind.
Somebody explain to me, why in the hell would her family push Debbie out the window and tell her to go hide near the cemetery?.......the Indians were surrounding their home. Doesn't make good sense at all.
because the Comanches object is to murder rob and destroy...just like mexicans and anglos ....there are many accounts of settlers fleeing their houses and hiding in caves or areas away from their houses and many had drills like for fire safety...the comanche were usually doing lightning raids and wouldnt go hunting for people they didn't see
They felt it was her only chance at survival. Indian depradations were a well known fact on the frontier. Debbie was small. The raiding party was probably not that big. The family may well have felt Debbie could slip past the raiders in the dark. Natives were somewhat superstitious. Grave yards would not be a place they would venture into except....for the dog.
If you ever feel like making another video on The Searchers, I'd be interested in hearing your view on whether Scar (portrayed by a white actor) is supposed to be white man raised by natives similar to Debbie
Interesting observation considering that this movie is based on the life of Cynthia Ann Parker who was kidnapped by the Comanche as was her brother who lived w a different band of Comanche for many yrs.
Crap! That’s a fantastic observation! Makes sense too. I always wondered why they made it a point to show that scar had blue eyes. And maybe explains why scar attacked Ethans family and took away Debbie in the first place. Man, that kinda makes sense. Good job.
I think you are looking for something that doesn't exist. Hollywood was famous for casting white actors for Indians for years. No subtle backstory, just an obvious poor cast decision.
There are some recurring plot threads in the searchers some subtle and others overt. The subtle comprises Ethan's past, both his knowledge and hatred of the Comanche Indians and Ethan's relationship to his brother’s wife, Matha. Ethan and Martha share an unspoken love for each other and it is left to the audience to imagine why. This unrealized love thread is echoed in the movie between Martin and Laurie. Like Marty leaving to search for his sister, Ethan may have left for the war and so Martha married Ethan's brother. Ethan and Marty search for Debbie for years and the longer it takes the more Ethan would rather see Debbie dead than see her turn into a Comanche. Ethan's hatred of what the Comanche did to his family is seen throughout the movie. After Ethan's brother's homestead was attack by a Comanche murder party, Ethan is consumed with hatred of the Comanche Indian chief, Scar, for killing his brother and his brother's wife, Martha, and two of their children. Ethan and Martin catch up to Scar and his tribe and see Debbie as a Comanche squaw. Martin stops Ethan from killing Debbie but Ethan is injured during an attack and Martin takes Ethan home and has to leave Debbie with Scar. Martin and Ethan have a second chance. Martin rescues Debbie and Ethan and the Texas Rangers attack the Comanche camp. Ethan finds Scar dead in his Tepee and scalps him. But scalping Scar's dead corpse was a catharsis that helped Ethan let go of his loss and pain that manifested as hatred. Ethan comes full circle at the end, as he rides after Debbie and catches her in a cave. He lifted Debbie above his head just like he did when she was a little girl at the beginning of the movie and saw her as his niece instead of a woman indoctrinated into a Comanche way of life. He holds her in his arms and says let's go home Debbie. At the end Marty is the hero for rescuing Debbie and Ethan is a man damaged and consumed by many years of war with the north and a war with the Indians. He redeemed himself at the end but with the loss of his family and arguably his soul and he has no ties to his Texas home anymore.
All through thé movie they talked bout if they do this or that than thé comanches would kill her. Truth be told ethan did à great job holding it together keeping that in mind until he knew she could get her safely. I back this up with how long they persued her and could of quit. How ethan agreed To let marty try To rescue her when Sneak in to camp. Great job ethan holding it together.
The last scene of this movie when Mr.Wayne is standing at the open door of the cabin/home, he reaches with his left arm and holds his right elbow,. He did this out of a respect for a director or writer he knew that had passed away and the person's habit was holding his arm this way. This action by Mr. Wayne was for that man in respect and rememberance honoring him. Does anyone remember the person I'm talking about?
in the beginning of the movie he pick up Debbie when she was little. so when he pick up Debbie at end he saw her as a little girl again.movie start with a open door and end with a closing door
also, I think the cave can symbolize another form of civilization. a rougher, nature-hewn one, but one she's trying to return to. Thus he drags her back from that more "natural" less uh... I guess normative? "civilization", and back to the wooden door frame by which we view the western cultural perspective looking outwards onto the wilderness.
Debbie's really Ethan's daughter? I don't think so, but she IS the daughter of Martha, who was obviously Ethan's "crush" at one time. You can see that part of the backstory that's told without words, Ethan and his brother were both rivals for Martha's hand and it's apparant Martha was VERY interested in Ethan. But she had a choice to make, and it was between Ethan the wild one or his brother the more quiet, solid, and down-to earth one. She chose the brother but never forgot her attraction to Ethan. In the end Ethan can't kill the child of the woman he once loved, all that's left of her. Incredible storytelling.
In the book Debbie is adopted by Scar and his now his daughter. She vaguely remembers English and is afraid of the white men. She wasn't married but some buck was willing to pau 60 horses to Scar for her hand in marriage.
Or maybe his heart melts because he knows she isn't totally gon to the Comanche. Because he doesn't need to hate her for what the Comanche did to her Father and mother. That he does hate the Comanche because they killed his relatives and he's out for vengeance! What would you do if scar did that to your family or relatives? I mean earlier in the movie we see some girls that were found and taken by the cavalry and they were a bit crazy. You could assume he was thinking she was gon and couldn't be changed back. It's not racist to want justice for someone that killed your relatives!?
No, the film would have been over exposed. You get better lighting from filming inside. Ethan has never had an easy life, and the easy life would be the darkness for him
The fact it's called racism that he despises a tribe that savagely murdered and scalped his family and kindnapped his niece. Sorry, I don't agree, his hatred for the tribe in the movie is perfectly justified.
I doubt that Debbie is Ethan's daughter. Martha would never have strayed after marrying Aaron. It is evident that there is a history between them, but I suspect they couldnt make it work and she settled for Aaron. Im sure Ethan isnt cured of his racism. His scalping of scar was more than just revenge. His determination to kill Debbie is based on her having been sexually "despoiled" by Scar. Laurie endorses this impulse, "I tell you, Martha would want him to." At the end Ethan doesnt kill her because he come to grips with the futility of his whole quest. He cant redeem her. He cant save her, but checking off his box "kill her" is pointless. Debbie will never have a place in white society, any more than Ethan will in "civilized" society. He returns her to the Jorgensens where shell be welcome as Marty's sister. Ethan cannot stay. His hate is unquenched and will dog him all his days. But this one day he managed to put it aside to do a human thing. Ethan must now 🎶 "ride away...
Except the cave is not civilisation. If anything it is the ultimate retreat to man's primeval past, so I'm afraid the attempted parallel doesn't work here. Rather, it is a stark contrast to what the door represents and it could be said that Ethan is pulling Debbie away from the untamed world and back to civilisation. However, one unstated reason why Ethan may have been able to again recognise Debbie as his niece (or daughter?) and take her back comes down, I think, to his taking Scar's scalp. In that way, Debbie is made "white" again and can be reclaimed. Yes, the racism in this movie is shown in all its ugliness, a deliberate decision by director John Ford as a reexamination and critique of the Western tropes that perpetuated it. Earlier in the movie we saw how the girl Martin loves, Laurie, expresses some ugly attitudes herself when telling Martin that Martha would want Debbie killed after being "passed around" and "bought and sold by Comanche bucks" and thus is little different than Ethan in considering Debbie already tainted and dead. The viewer is forced to confront these attitudes and rethink a few things. Doesn't make for comfortable viewing but Ford didn't intend for his audience to be comfortable. And if they are, they missed the point.
Thank you for calling it a great movie . This is the only time John Wayne portrayed a Confederate soldier ( post war ) . Calling him rascist...you can ...but you obviously don't know what war can do to a man...you have no idea .
Hey native person here (James bay Cree) I don't think Ethan is a racist against all natives, he hates the Comanches because what they've done to his family. If something like that happened to my family i feel the same way. Keep in mind that yes we all natives but there are many different tribes. They have different rules/customs. Some tribes were more pacifists, while others were more barbaric, or in between. It depends. Ethan hated the Comanches but did not despise all natives. He knew better not to overgeneralize. That's my opinion.
I think I agree with that by now. I think he would have behaved differently towards other natives if he had been a racist in general, Look, for example. He only becomes mean towards her when he notices that she has information on Scar. I was influenced by what critics often said. Before that, I saw him more as a Captain Ahab type of man. Thank you for your perspective.
Ethan was an Anti-hero. He was indeed racist so much that he willing to kill Debbie than her living with. Native Americans. He was confederate so probably believes Slavery was good too. HOWEVER, he did the heroic act at the end of saving Debbie and taking her home
The scenes you are comparing are, I think, the wrong ones. The scene where Ethan lifts Debbie in the cave's entrance should remind one of the scene when Ethan lifts Debbie as a child near the beginning of the movie. He now remembers and recognizes the flesh-and-blood person who is his niece. This is why he overcomes his racism and doesn't kill Debbie and why this is one of the great moments in movie history.
I was more concerned with the door imagery, but you make a very good point that I didn't consider. Thank you for that. I think both observations can be complementary to each other rather than exclude each other. What do you think?
Another observation I had, but months after doing this video, is when Ethan and Martin escape into a cave (?) when Scar tries to kill them. The cave entrance there is similarly framed like the one in this scene and in both cases no harm comes to those who make it into the cave.
This is indeed an interesting analysis of this movie. Though it's been many years since I've sat down and watched this movie again, it's something I didn't quite notice before, and both your analyses are complimentary to each other. But yeah, I'll have to go with the simple fact that Debbie is Ethan's niece, and it made me wonder why the hell he would kill her. She had no choice, she was kidnapped, and has since adapted to the Comanche's lifestyle, because that was her only option to survive. Ethan HAD BETTER NOT have killed her!
That's something I've kinda wrestled with before, since Ethan is incredibly hateful, vengeful, and racist against the Comanche, but he's come on this long journey looking for Debbie with everyone else since the beginning, why go to all the trouble to search for her with everyone else who wants to save her, only to kill her when he did find her? What's more, why punish her for a choice she clearly didn't make? (And even if she did agree to keep living with the Comanche, you still don't kill her.) I don't know, Ethan's bitterness toward the Comanche has always been confusing to me. I guess it's because I'm coming from the viewpoint of, Debbie was an innocent girl, I see absolutely no reason to kill her, under any circumstances.
@@AishaVonFossen I think Ethan stops seeing Debbie as a human being and more as a thing for which to direct his hatred towards the Comanche. This is, maybe, what racism is - regarding humans as objects. She is a prize that is being defiled by the Comanche, who murdered his brother and family. So, when he finally takes her into his arms at the end, he is suddenly confronted with "human being" Debbie, and it's this realization that overcomes his racism.
@@malafakka8530 It's possible that Ford was using door and cave entrance imagery to make a point. But, Ford uses a lot of door frames throughout the film and it's unclear to me what connections they all have. For example, when Ethan looks inside the burning house and sees his family raped and murdered, he's framed silhouetted against the back light.
As I expressed earlier, far stronger for me was the connection between the young Debbie scene and the older Debbie scene. Kenji Mizoguchi does a similar thing in Sansho The Bailiff.
@@readlots9983 Right, yeah, I think that's basically what I was trying to say, I think you just worded it better than me. LOL
The last shot of the movie is just heartbreaking.
In the final scene, Ethan honors Harry Carey, Sr. by pulling on his elbow, a signature Harry Carey gesture. Carey's wife and son are in this film. Carey, Sr. died in 1947. He was nominated for an Oscar for 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."
I don't think Ethan was racist. He hated the Comanches, but he had good reason to. The Comanches killed his mother (as evidenced by her tombstone which Debbie is hiding by), his brother, his sister-in-law (it's hinted that she was also raped before being killed), his nephew, and one of his nieces (it's also suggested that Lucy was raped and killed). Basically, his entire family was wiped out by Comanches. This is why his hatred was so deep.
Yes, I think that as well by now. I was influenced by a review I had read a few months earlier when I made the video. If he were truly racist he would have behaved differently towards Look, for example.
@@malafakka8530 Yeah, and why does he speak Comanche if he's a racist?
@@Damon-p9u either way, why shouldn't he?
Evan Ray Charles could see the John Wayne aka the Duke was a Racist!
What about his remark to Marty at the beginning of the film, " could mistake you for a half breed"
The greatest western ever made. The most influential movie ever made. John Ford’s masterpiece stands the test of time. It has influenced two generations of Hollywood film makers. Ethan Edwards, the loneliest man in the world. Men like him made the West safe for civilization and then were left behind by it. God what a movie masterpiece. I’ve seen the movie a million times and I still get choked at the final scene. Saw it when it first was released and was to young to understand the dept of story and message it delivered. I thought it was just another western. But the final scene haunted me for years. When I was mature enough the realized the message it delivered made me realize genius was at work here. And John Wayne could really act.
IMDb points out that in the early graveyard scene, Debbie is next to the tomb of Ethan’s mother and the stone says “killed by Comanches”.
Once Ethan scalps Scar, his demons are purged. He has taken his revenge, his hatred cleansed by blood. With his eye-for-an eye mission accomplished, there is room for a new emotion. He is not without kindness as seen in opening scene. The end rekindles that opening scene's kindness. And as was his way, his apparent mistreatment of his "step-son" (by way of Martha and the baby they made) -- was a rough love -- a technique to toughen Martin into adulthood. Martin passes his trial by fire to save Debbie, and we see he has grown into a balanced manhood of toughness and tenderness. What movie-making! Scenes and psychological conflict that are unforgettable.
I really like your comment. Thanks for sharing.
I wonder if there isn't intended also some symmetry with the earlier cave scene, where Ethan found himself looking out. Not as defenceless but vulnerable nonetheless and comes closest in the movie to dying.
John Wayne once stated that meeting Wyatt Earp, when he was a very young actor, made an impression on him. That distinctive swaggering walk that John Wayne had was the way that Wyatt Earp walked, Wayne said.
one of the greatest westerns ever made - indeed one of the greatest films - outstanding performance from John Wayne
I always leaned towards the idea that Debbie was actually Ethan's daughter. He seems startled by the realization of who she is when he meets her as a little girl.
Another reason to watch the movie again, to catch that startled look. Tks
It may also be like Moses not being allowed to go to the Promised Land or Frodo not finding peace at his home in the Shire.
Those that suffered and made the peace possible often do not get to enjoy the fruits of their sacrifices ie. the peace.
We need to remember the sacrifices of those whose have made peace possible for the rest of us.
Pax vobis.
It’s heavily implied that Debbie is actually HIS daughter, not his brother’s. And he was gone in the war for 8 years. Debbie is 8 years old.
I love this movie so much. It's my favorite John Wayne movie!!
One of the most beautifully looking movies ever made.
I agree and btw Vera Miles is outstanding in this too.
I read once, and i totally agree, it seems very clear that he and his brothers wife have significant feeling for each other. I think Ethan was ruled by his pain, anger and hatred for the people that destroyed his family. When he saw Debbie at the end, cowering in fear, he is transported back to finding the homestead burning, his sister in law raped and mutilated, Debbies doll in among the graves. Then hi picks her up and recognizes his lost sister in law in her appearance.
Also, let’s not brand Ethan a racist. He treated Mose as well as anyone. He hated the indians, especially the Comanche, because of the battles, raids and destruction between the two races…… the same reason so many Indians hated the whites, and all settlers.
There was a lot of killing going on.the Comanche did there share.
Thank you. Very interesting and insightful observation on visual storytelling.
Thank you for your kind comment.
In addition to what was said in the commentary and some of the written comments here, it's also a battle between light and darkness. Not only does Nathan recognize his kin and the little girl he lifted up when she was a child, it is also the case, more subliminally, that were he to kill her, he and the movie would have slipped into darkness. He chose instead light, as is reflected both in the scene at the mouth of the cave but also in the closing scene.
Nice
1- Ethan purified her by killing the comanche who had violated her and 2- Ethan is like Ajax as he is good for the job and then discarded
A very good assessment of the film.
Thanks. Years later I think that I am probably not exactly right about it, but it's nice that people can still get something out of it.
One of the things that makes "The Searchers" a great movie is that it doesn't tell the audience everything. The creation of novels and movies is a two-way collaboration between the director and the audience. A good director sets things up so that both the director and the audience create the movie.
I liked when he twirled his cold when he pulled it out of his holster👍👍👍
Colt dam phone
Excellent review of that scene.
It's hinted at in a scene in which Debbie's mother caresses Ethan's coat. Ward Bond witnesses this moment. It could be why Ethan stayed away so long. Funny. This never occurred to me until recently, and I've seen this fine film many times. Thank you.
In the original screenplay by Frank S. Nugent, Ethan points his gun at Debbie in the climatic scene and says, "I'm sorry girl. Shut you eyes," pauses, and then lowers his gun and says, "You sure favor your mother."
This is definitely relevant to the discussion. There's always the possibility that the director (John Ford) intentionally left that out because he had his own interpretation of Ethan's motives that differed from the screenwriter's, but you never know.
Brilliant analysis.
Your videos are incredible and deserve more views such as this popular video
Interesting analysis.
Thank you.
Good analogy. You should watch the history channel special on the hells angels and how they got started by veterans of WW2 or more recently 1923’s Spencer who winds up hunting Lions in Africa post WW1. Good writing there. Ethan was of this loin. Having difficulties blending back into civilization after the Civil war and the violence of the frontier.
Love your insight.
Excelente vídeo bro.
I really like your commentary and analogy.
Thank you.
I honestly didn't realize that I left the same comment a year ago.
Ethan doesn't follow any rules but his own. He handed over his gun because the preacher is his friend, and he'd rather do that than have it out with him. He doesn't kill his niece for the simple reason that he loves her, and love is stronger than hate.
I've always strongly disagreed with the characterization of the imagery of the ending. Ethan's place is outside the house representing civilization, not because he's a barbarian and unworthy... but because he is a guardian, and his place is out there, fighting to defend civilization. In civilization, killing is murder. Outside civilization, killing is defending civilization.
Personally, I think before the final raid Ethan had decided against killing Lucy. Probably because of the aforementioned taste of civilization he had had just before Lt Greenhill brought Mose and his report. Something told him that she hadn't been turned Comanche, and could be returned to civilization.
I guess it depends on which interpretation you come across, but I think that what you say is often the point of those interpretations. Ethan is someone who might be needed to establish civilization, but that the very means to do that preclude him from sharing in it. His fate is tragic in that sense.
The door frame is a part of this but it is not why he does not kill Debbie. When he picks her up at the beginning of the movie he knows she is Debbie's daughter he remembers this at the end
Yes, I agree. I had a nice idea, but probably overinterpreted it a bit. I hope it was still worth your time to a degree.
@@malafakka8530 I did not notice the point you made about John Wayne and ward Bond at the fireplace. There is one scene I would like your understanding you did not mention. Before the rangers attack chief scars camp. How did Ethan know the scalp of Martin's mother. My best guess is that he was going to tell him it was Martha's to make him hate scar more. Before Ethan tells him Martin says don't tell me it was Martha's so Ethan told him it belonged to his mother. What do you think about this?
@@johndaniels8904 I wish I could give you a good or convincing answer on this, but unless we are overlooking a hint or detail in the movie, I think there is no plausible way to know if Ethan really recognized the scalp of Martin's mother. Your explanation is a good one. The only other explanation I could think of is that Scar was among the people who killed Martin's mother, and that Ethan recognized him from back then and guessed that the chances are good that one of the scalps was the mother's, without really knowing if this was true.
Just a question, for no particular reason other than you having an interest in The Searchers, do you happen to like the movie Conan the Barbarian? I made a few videos on the movie, and in one of those I briefly show interesting parallels between Conan and The Searchers. If you happen to be interested I can post the link here. If not, no problem.
@@malafakka8530 Chief scar is very aggressive to people outside of his own tribe and captives. It is a safe bet he led the raid that killed martins parents too. That is good thinking. The whole video was good. I might look at the Conan movie too.
@@johndaniels8904 Thanks, glad that you liked my idea on the scalp.
Here is the link to the Conan video: ua-cam.com/video/zcawVwVF6gg/v-deo.html. The comparison starts at 3:35 in that video link.
The greatest Western ever made. And it is not just the greatest Western. It is one of the greatest movies ever made. Period.
I don't know how many times I have watched it over the years. But I find new things to ponder and marvel at _every_ time I watch it. Hardly any films are so profoundly well constructed, written, acted and filmed. I am in awe of John Ford.
Not close to as good as The Good the Bad and the Ugly or High Noon.
@@mikedbigame3398 Good that you like movies but few people ever mention those films in the Great category. While The Searchers is permanently etched as one of the greatest films ever made, not just Westerns ever made. There is a difference ... 😉🤷♂
I presume we are all searching for that peace of mind, but where, Oh Lord, oh where. I guess we will find out at the end.
1:52, he had his pistol in his hand, then on close up, it's holstered. Perhaps they wanted to portray that as he did want to kill her, then changed his mind.
Somebody explain to me, why in the hell would her family push Debbie out the window and tell her to go hide near the cemetery?.......the Indians were surrounding their home. Doesn't make good sense at all.
I have no idea. Maybe because it was (supposedly) dark outside and they were hoping that no one would see her run out?
Also I dunno maybe everybody hide in the cemetary?
because the Comanches object is to murder rob and destroy...just like mexicans and anglos ....there are many accounts of settlers fleeing their houses and hiding in caves or areas away from their houses and many had drills like for fire safety...the comanche were usually doing lightning raids and wouldnt go hunting for people they didn't see
They felt it was her only chance at survival. Indian depradations were a well known fact on the frontier. Debbie was small. The raiding party was probably not that big. The family may well have felt Debbie could slip past the raiders in the dark. Natives were somewhat superstitious. Grave yards would not be a place they would venture into except....for the dog.
If you ever feel like making another video on The Searchers, I'd be interested in hearing your view on whether Scar (portrayed by a white actor) is supposed to be white man raised by natives similar to Debbie
Interesting observation considering that this movie is based on the life of Cynthia Ann Parker who was kidnapped by the Comanche as was her brother who lived w a different band of Comanche for many yrs.
@@mikecastellon4545 Yes and Quana Parker was her son and tribal chief.
Crap! That’s a fantastic observation! Makes sense too. I always wondered why they made it a point to show that scar had blue eyes. And maybe explains why scar attacked Ethans family and took away Debbie in the first place. Man, that kinda makes sense. Good job.
I think you are looking for something that doesn't exist. Hollywood was famous for casting white actors for Indians for years. No subtle backstory, just an obvious poor cast decision.
@@kenkahre9262 both reasons are right
There are some recurring plot threads in the searchers some subtle and others overt. The subtle comprises Ethan's past, both his knowledge and hatred of the Comanche Indians and Ethan's relationship to his brother’s wife, Matha. Ethan and Martha share an unspoken love for each other and it is left to the audience to imagine why. This unrealized love thread is echoed in the movie between Martin and Laurie. Like Marty leaving to search for his sister, Ethan may have left for the war and so Martha married Ethan's brother. Ethan and Marty search for Debbie for years and the longer it takes the more Ethan would rather see Debbie dead than see her turn into a Comanche. Ethan's hatred of what the Comanche did to his family is seen throughout the movie. After Ethan's brother's homestead was attack by a Comanche murder party, Ethan is consumed with hatred of the Comanche Indian chief, Scar, for killing his brother and his brother's wife, Martha, and two of their children. Ethan and Martin catch up to Scar and his tribe and see Debbie as a Comanche squaw. Martin stops Ethan from killing Debbie but Ethan is injured during an attack and Martin takes Ethan home and has to leave Debbie with Scar. Martin and Ethan have a second chance. Martin rescues Debbie and Ethan and the Texas Rangers attack the Comanche camp. Ethan finds Scar dead in his Tepee and scalps him. But scalping Scar's dead corpse was a catharsis that helped Ethan let go of his loss and pain that manifested as hatred. Ethan comes full circle at the end, as he rides after Debbie and catches her in a cave. He lifted Debbie above his head just like he did when she was a little girl at the beginning of the movie and saw her as his niece instead of a woman indoctrinated into a Comanche way of life. He holds her in his arms and says let's go home Debbie. At the end Marty is the hero for rescuing Debbie and Ethan is a man damaged and consumed by many years of war with the north and a war with the Indians. He redeemed himself at the end but with the loss of his family and arguably his soul and he has no ties to his Texas home anymore.
All through thé movie they talked bout if they do this or that than thé comanches would kill her. Truth be told ethan did à great job holding it together keeping that in mind until he knew she could get her safely. I back this up with how long they persued her and could of quit. How ethan agreed To let marty try To rescue her when Sneak in to camp. Great job ethan holding it together.
The last scene of this movie when Mr.Wayne is standing at the open door of the cabin/home, he reaches with his left arm and holds his right elbow,. He did this out of a respect for a director or writer he knew that had passed away and the person's habit was holding his arm this way. This action by Mr. Wayne was for that man in respect and rememberance honoring him. Does anyone remember the person I'm talking about?
I believe it was Harry Carrey - the western star/director.
in the beginning of the movie he pick up Debbie when she was little. so when he pick up Debbie at end he saw her as a little girl again.movie start with a open door and end with a closing door
it is his daughter , he does not want the same for her.
also, I think the cave can symbolize another form of civilization. a rougher, nature-hewn one, but one she's trying to return to. Thus he drags her back from that more "natural" less uh... I guess normative? "civilization", and back to the wooden door frame by which we view the western cultural perspective looking outwards onto the wilderness.
That's an interesting perspective to look at it.
very interesting idea
The inside of the Cave is Civilization?
I think not.
.
his niece ? Most likely his daughter
Ford really was something 😢
Debbie's really Ethan's daughter? I don't think so, but she IS the daughter of Martha, who was obviously Ethan's "crush" at one time. You can see that part of the backstory that's told without words, Ethan and his brother were both rivals for Martha's hand and it's apparant Martha was VERY interested in Ethan. But she had a choice to make, and it was between Ethan the wild one or his brother the more quiet, solid, and down-to earth one. She chose the brother but never forgot her attraction to Ethan. In the end Ethan can't kill the child of the woman he once loved, all that's left of her. Incredible storytelling.
Well done.
In the book Debbie is adopted by Scar and his now his daughter. She vaguely remembers English and is afraid of the white men. She wasn't married but some buck was willing to pau 60 horses to Scar for her hand in marriage.
Brilliant.
It was between civilized people and savages
Or maybe his heart melts because he knows she isn't totally gon to the Comanche. Because he doesn't need to hate her for what the Comanche did to her Father and mother. That he does hate the Comanche because they killed his relatives and he's out for vengeance! What would you do if scar did that to your family or relatives? I mean earlier in the movie we see some girls that were found and taken by the cavalry and they were a bit crazy. You could assume he was thinking she was gon and couldn't be changed back. It's not racist to want justice for someone that killed your relatives!?
I think that he was testing Debbie to see if she was still a regular person not an Indian
I consider it about .5 above Shane and a full 1.0 better than the Magnificent Seven…I also had a life-long crush on Natalie Wood.
Come on Debby let's go home
You kind of sound like my old English teacher
No, the film would have been over exposed. You get better lighting from filming inside. Ethan has never had an easy life, and the easy life would be the darkness for him
Would it be a better movie if he HAD killed Debbie? Upsetting but more "real?" I guess he needs an arc.
The fact it's called racism that he despises a tribe that savagely murdered and scalped his family and kindnapped his niece. Sorry, I don't agree, his hatred for the tribe in the movie is perfectly justified.
Yes, it's probably more hate than racism. I am not happy with everything in the video nowadays.
Off-topic, that's Waterloo Bridge in your profile, right? Looks nice.
Is Hitler's hatred for Jews justified also?
Genial!
Don't you put rice in this movie who-do-you-think-you-are this movie is a classic
I doubt that Debbie is Ethan's daughter. Martha would never have strayed after marrying Aaron. It is evident that there is a history between them, but I suspect they couldnt make it work and she settled for Aaron. Im sure Ethan isnt cured of his racism. His scalping of scar was more than just revenge. His determination to kill Debbie is based on her having been sexually "despoiled" by Scar. Laurie endorses this impulse, "I tell you, Martha would want him to." At the end Ethan doesnt kill her because he come to grips with the futility of his whole quest. He cant redeem her. He cant save her, but checking off his box "kill her" is pointless. Debbie will never have a place in white society, any more than Ethan will in "civilized" society. He returns her to the Jorgensens where shell be welcome as Marty's sister. Ethan cannot stay. His hate is unquenched and will dog him all his days. But this one day he managed to put it aside to do a human thing. Ethan must now 🎶 "ride away...
The greatest movie no one has seen
I’ve seen it
No one? It is certainly a much seen movie and the framing of the door alone has been used as a reference in other movies to this day.
oH BULL. Just enjoy the movie, will ya???
Except the cave is not civilisation. If anything it is the ultimate retreat to man's primeval past, so I'm afraid the attempted parallel doesn't work here. Rather, it is a stark contrast to what the door represents and it could be said that Ethan is pulling Debbie away from the untamed world and back to civilisation. However, one unstated reason why Ethan may have been able to again recognise Debbie as his niece (or daughter?) and take her back comes down, I think, to his taking Scar's scalp. In that way, Debbie is made "white" again and can be reclaimed. Yes, the racism in this movie is shown in all its ugliness, a deliberate decision by director John Ford as a reexamination and critique of the Western tropes that perpetuated it. Earlier in the movie we saw how the girl Martin loves, Laurie, expresses some ugly attitudes herself when telling Martin that Martha would want Debbie killed after being "passed around" and "bought and sold by Comanche bucks" and thus is little different than Ethan in considering Debbie already tainted and dead. The viewer is forced to confront these attitudes and rethink a few things. Doesn't make for comfortable viewing but Ford didn't intend for his audience to be comfortable. And if they are, they missed the point.
Thank you for calling it a great movie . This is the only time John Wayne portrayed a Confederate soldier ( post war ) . Calling him rascist...you can ...but you obviously don't know what war can do to a man...you have no idea .
I don't think that if he is a racist that the war had something to with it in this case.
Yeah, and he may well have become embittered by the war, particularly as the South lost.
Hey native person here (James bay Cree) I don't think Ethan is a racist against all natives, he hates the Comanches because what they've done to his family. If something like that happened to my family i feel the same way. Keep in mind that yes we all natives but there are many different tribes. They have different rules/customs. Some tribes were more pacifists, while others were more barbaric, or in between. It depends. Ethan hated the Comanches but did not despise all natives. He knew better not to overgeneralize. That's my opinion.
I think I agree with that by now. I think he would have behaved differently towards other natives if he had been a racist in general, Look, for example. He only becomes mean towards her when he notices that she has information on Scar. I was influenced by what critics often said. Before that, I saw him more as a Captain Ahab type of man. Thank you for your perspective.
Ethan was an Anti-hero. He was indeed racist so much that he willing to kill Debbie than her living with. Native Americans. He was confederate so probably believes Slavery was good too. HOWEVER, he did the heroic act at the end of saving Debbie and taking her home